• ABC's of Mrs. Griffin's Class
    Gator crawling
     
     

    ABSENCES

    Please call Mrs. Kooser in the attendance office at 480-812-6903 to report absences. All homework will be sent home when your child returns or it can be picked up in the office at the end of the school day. Just let me know ahead of time so I can make sure it is waiting for you. I will send home any classwork that was done during the day, but it is not required to be completed.

     

    ALLERGIES

    Please notify me immediately if your child is allergic or sensitive to any foods. We ask that ALL families refrain from sending peanut products for snack, for snacks are stored in a communal bucket during the school day and cross-contamination can occur accidentally. For more information, please see Peanut Allergy Alert.

     

    BACKPACKS

    Please send your child with a backpack big enough to hold our Green Homework Folder. Please no roller backpacks.

     

    BEHAVIOR

    Through a combination of lessons in getting along and clear classroom exceptions and consequences, learning appropriate life skills in Kindergarten is vital to their success in life. Click here for details about how it looks in our classroom.

     

    BELLS

    School begins promptly at 8:10am with the first bell ringing at 8:00. Students may be dropped off AFTER 7:45am on the West playground. There will be teachers denoted by an orange vest supervising at this time. The dismissal bell rings at 2:40.



    BIRTHDAYS

    We love celebrating birthdays in Kindergarten, but have limited time to do so due to our academic priorities. Should you wish to send in treats for your child's birthday it MUST be store bought. Please NO cupcakes. Easy items like cookies, fruit snacks, donuts, etc. work well. We celebrate during our 15 minute recess, so something that is easy to distribute and eat is appreciated. If your child has a summer birthday, I will send out a notice towards the end of the school year to let you know what day your child will celebrate.



    BOOK ORDERS

    Book club orders will be handed out in class. There are two ways to place your order.

    1.) You may select the book(s) you wish to purchase on the back of the order and return it to the classroom teacher by the date specified. If you choose to order this way, you must include a check payable to "Scholastic Book Clubs." Be sure to print your child's name on the bottom of the order.

    2.) You may also order online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. This is the most convenient way to place your order. Please use class code GTDHV when placing your order. You may pay using a debit or credit card when ordering online. You will get a free book coupon for ordering online.

    Thank you for your orders. Points are rewarded to teachers for every order placed by a parent. Teachers are able to purchase books for the classroom with these reward points. We appreciate the opportunity to provide your child with books at home and at school!

    *NOTE: Book Orders are NEVER mandatory. They are a great way to expose your children to wonderful literature, but you are never obligated to make a purchase.



    CONFERENCES

    A Parent/Teacher conference is set up before Fall Intersession where I will be able to formally meet with you regarding your child's progress. In the Spring, we have a second Parent/Teacher Conference to discuss your child's progress. While these two times in the school year are District wide mandatory conferences, I am willing and able to meet with you anytime during the school year. Whether in person, phone or email, communication between you and I is vital to your child's success.


    CONTACT INFO

    The BEST way to get a hold of me during the school day is my email. Should you call my phone, it will go straight to voice-mail so as not to disturb the class during the school day. Should you need immediate assistance, call the front office to speak with Mrs. Regner or Mrs. Kooser.
    email : griffin.kathy@cusd80.com

    Classroom Phone : 480-619-6932
    Front Office: 480-619-6900



    DROP OFF/PICK UP

    Students may be dropped off at the WEST playground in the morning AFTER 7:45. The first bell rings at 8:00 and classes will enter the campus led by their teacher. There will be teachers denoted by an orange vest supervising at this time.We are required to close the gate once all the Kindie classes are in the campus gates, therefore it is important that your child be here by 8:00. Otherwise, they will need to enter campus by way of the office. The tardy bell rings at 8:10. The dismissal bell rings at 2:40.

    School dismissal is at 2:40pm. In order to make parent pick-up run smoothly, we need YOUR help in doing the following:

    • Know Where your student's class is meeting in front of the school on the WEST SIDE

    • k-1 students MUST stay on  the WEST SIDE unless prior arrangements have been made with the appropriate teacher (older siblings will meet younger siblings on the WEST SIDE)

    • If you are walking up to get your students, please DO NOT wait at the gates ort linger in the breezeways or hallways to chat.

    • If you are driving through thte  pick-up line, please have your student's car sign visible. We want to be able to call your student's name ASAP and have them ready to load. Please do not exit your car we will help your child/children load. 

    • No right turn into Parking Lot from Knox Road~ Entering the Parking Lot: North on Coronado St. & East on Knox

    • MOST IMPORTANTLY: Please be patient and kind.


    FOLDERS

    Your child will be given a Green Folder on the first day of school. This folder is a tool for communication between you, me and your child. Please check it and clean it out DAILY for important teacher and school news as well as homework.



    HOMEWORK

    Please visit the Homework Link for homework information.



    LUNCH

    Visit myschoolbucks.com to set up a lunch account for your child. You will need their Student ID# which you can get from me, the front office, or Infinite Campus.

    Lunch is $2.75 which include juice, milk, entree, vegetables, and fruit. Water can be purchased for an extra $1. To view the menu online click CUSD Lunch Menu.

    If your child is packing a lunch please keep in mind to make things as simple as possible for them. For example, easy packaging, if they will need a spoon send it with them, and pack a napkin. This will help them maximize their lunch time and give them plenty of time to eat. If they need to ask for help or wait to get a utensil it tends to slow things up.



    NEWSLETTERS

    The Kindie Korner will come home every other week through email. It will give you information about upcoming school and classroom events as well as summaries on what we have been working on academically. The newsletter will also give you an up-to-date Specials Schedule based on our 6 day rotations.



    POETRY RECITATIONS

    Once per quarter, each student will be required to do a poetry recitation. A list of poems will be sent home 2 weeks before the due date for practice. Poem Recitations are taken for a report card grade.



    SNACKS

    A healthy snack for your child is always appreciated. Should you choose to send a snack with your child, please pack it separately from your child's lunch and label it with their name. Please remember this is not "meal" time and the snack should be easy to eat and require little time to consume. Some popular choices from last year were crackers, fruit, cheese sticks or carrots. NO candy, sugary snacks, peanut snacks, or snacks that require untensils please.



    SPECIALS

    Each week, students will be participating in P.E., Music, Computers and Library classes using a 6 Day Rotation.  Click the Specials link for our schedule. On P.E. days students, must wear sneakers. For their own safety, they will not be allowed to participate in P.E. without proper shoes.



    TAKE HOME READING PROGRAM

    Along with small group instruction during the school day, students are encouraged to participate in the Take Home Reading Program to promote and foster their reading skills. This program works for children of all reading abilities and can be utilized during the 15-20  minute Reading time required for homework each night. A note will be sent home within the first month of school with more details.



    TARDIES

    If your child is tardy, they MUST stop by the front office before reporting to our room.  Your child will be given a blue tardy pass to bring to me so that I know they have checked in for the day.  School starts at 8:10, and attendance is taken immediately as part of our morning routine.  Instruction begins IMMEDIATELY in the morning so for every minute they are late, that is important instruction time they are missing. Thank you for getting your child to school on time each day!



    TRANSPORTATION

    At the beginning of the school year you will be filling out a form to tell me where your child will be going after school. Should your plans change for any reason, please let me know immediately. For your child's safety, I will follow your written or verbal instructions.



    VOLUNTEERS

    Once school start and the class and I get into a familiar routine, I will be asking for parent volunteers. In today's busy world, I realize volunteering in the classroom is not ideal for every parent. Please look to the Kindie Korner newsletter to keep up to date with other volunteer opportunities. All parents entering campus during the school day need to sign in at the front office.



    UNIFORMS

    CTA-Goodman dress code is strictly enforced every day of the week. Please refer to the CTA Handbook for uniform rules. Should your child be in violation of dress code they will either receive a red Violation form and/or be asked to change clothes at the nurse. Feel free to ask me any questions about dress code.



    WATER BOTTLES

    Please have your child bring a water bottle to drink to school. Your child"s name MUST be printed on the water bottle. The poptop/squirt type is best to avoid spills. Please no juice, gatorade, kool aid, etc. for in the classroom.